Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Some comments on a recent piece of mine published on ABC's The Drum challenged me to write something really cynical about the Prophet Muhammad and Muslim countries. Apparently the piece should involve the Prophet Muhammad leaving his blessed tomb in Madina and hitting the road to see what he'd find.

I'm supposed to be expecting a fatwa followed by an international madding crowd by writing that ... wait for it ... shock horror!!! ... Muslim countries don't exactly reflect Muhammadan ethics and expectations.

So I might as well start drafting these wingnut wishes on this blog. Here goes.

[01] In Saudi Arabia, female-only sports have led to a government investigation. I'm not sure if there was an investigation into the running races the Prophet Muhammad had with his wife Aisha. Imagine the Mother of the Believers being taken into custody by Saudi Arabia's morality police.

Endorsement from Robert Spencer

... I can see why Irfan Yusuf got the 2007 Allen & Unwin Iremongeraward for public affairs writing: he's slick.

(Comment on a book review I wrote for The Australian. Mate, you said it. Who am I to argue with you?)

Endorsement from Mr Daniel Pipes

Chronic sectarian bigot ...

A nasty attack by an Australian blogger named Irfan Yusuf has appeared... Yusuf jumps on me ...

(From an update on Mr Pipes' blog dated 21 February 2008. No, Mr Pipes, I would never jump on you. I just don't find you physically attractive!)

Further Endorsement from Mr Daniel Pipes ...

Promoter of the "Obama was a Muslim" smear ...

... should send a signal to responsible media everywhere to decline his tendentious writings.

(I wonder if, by "responsible", he means that tiny fringe of newspapers and websites happy to print his claims that Barack Obama is a Muslim apostate and attended a madressa? Or that wearing a sarong is "a garment associated with Muslims"? Or that extremists make up 10-15% of the Muslim world population? Well, Mr Pipes, I wouldn't want to pollute my reputation by writing for those kinds of media. You can have them all, mate!)